“A report set to be released by the three city library systems Monday highlights some of the worst conditions at branches across the boroughs and expresses hope the city will provide some relief.The 15-page report, “Time to Renew,” says despite a $300 million capital infusion from the recent budget, several branches in the New York, Brooklyn and Queens public library systems are still suffering severe infrastructure problems.” (via am New York)

“Nearly 1 million antiquities including ceramics, a bayonet, perfume and medicine bottles — even a 200-year-old douche device — have been unearthed at construction sites in New York City, artifacts that help shed light on local history and the people who once lived there.Excavated from 31 sites across the city’s five boroughs, the objects — frequently in fragments — had been stored for decades at 14 locations across the city — until now. On Wednesday, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission unveiled a climate-controlled repository where all the specimens are housed under one roof. It also launched an online database of the archaeological finds that have been cataloged and photographed in partnership with the Museum of the City of New York.” (via Associated Press)

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October 5, 2016Comments Off on NYC launches archaeological repository and digital archiveArchives, New York City

“Amazon.com Inc. won a deal worth about $30 million to provide e-books to New York City, the nation’s largest school district.The city’s Panel for Educational Policy voted Wednesday in favor of the three-year contract for the Department of Education, which will take effect in the coming school year. They will have the option to extend it for an additional two years, which would be worth an estimated additional $34.5 million.” (via WSJ)

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April 21, 2016Comments Off on Amazon Wins $30 Million Contract to Sell E-Books to New York City SchoolsAmazon, ebooks, New York City

“The Department of Education is about to approve a $30 million contract with Amazon to create an e-book marketplace for New York City’s 1,800 public schools. The Amazon deal will be one of the D.O.E.’s most expensive contracts and one of the city’s few significant deals with a leading technology company. The contract will also create the department’s first unified e-book marketplace. Schools chancellor Carmen Fariña has said she wants to boost the department’s technology credentials.” (Via Biz Journals)

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July 30, 2015Comments Off on Amazon about to score $30M gig to sell e-books to N.Y.C. school kidsAmazon, New York City

“Libraries took a $10 million hit in the city’s 2016 budget. The three systems received $323 million — including $5 million from the City Council — in operating funds in 2015, and this year were only promised around $313 million. “The mayor’s proposed operating budget is a setback for libraries,” said Tony Marx, of the New York Public Library. The New York, Brooklyn and Queens public libraries also didn’t get the combined $1.4 billion in capital funds they’d requested for the next 10 years.” (via NY Daily News)